Jarrett Beaulieu
Jarrett graduated from VIU Cook Training and went on to apprentice at the Hilton in Toronto with Master Chef Albert Schnell. This led to his professional beginnings in various 5-star Canadian and Swiss Hotels. Jarrett landed the Executive Sous Chef position at the Abu Dhabi Hilton, United Arab Emirates. He later moved to Conrad International Centennial Singapore as Executive Sous Chef where daily food and beverage revenues were over $100,000. His first Executive Chef position was with Confetti Catering and Restaurants in Helsinki Finland. From there he moved on to Danat Resort Jebel Dhanna, Abu Dhabi. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts then hired him as Group Executive Chef to reposition and re-brand a group of 5 hotels in Kenya including the reputable Norfolk Hotel and Mount Kenya Safari Club. He has moved on with Hilton International and he is currently Director, Food and Beverage, Development and Openings at Hilton Worldwide and based in Dubai.
During his term as a Fairmont Chef/Food and Beverage Director he wrote:
“I am in charge of two hotels; one that is being taken over from Sheraton and completely new building across the street. The existing property is 600 rooms, 12 restaurants and bars, 105 kitchen staff, 77 stewards. Fairmont, Heliopolis. The other one is a 250 room ultra modern facility with five 5 F&B outlets and a conference centre with a ball room for 1000 and one for 600 plus many syndicate rooms. There is a cutting edge open/display kitchen design that will be the envy of Cairo. There is 96 kitchen staff and 60 stewards
Everything is done in house. All pastry, croissant and Danish doughs, and breads - all butchery is done in house (no such thing as pre-fab in this market).
I have a lot of respect for the industry and the professionalism, dedication, discipline and sacrifice one needs in force to climb as a chef (and especially in the international scene). Chef and Instructor Hubert Scheck played the largest role for me while I was at [VIU] as he saw through my utter incompetence to the potential within. I, like my good friend Simon Lazarus, went through the apprenticeship program with Chef Albert Schnell and we were both sent to Switzerland to work and things snowballed from there. All of the chefs at Malaspina were important role models for me as I started out... eye opening experiences for a small town boy from Penticton. They led the way and showed me what I could do for myself.
I have always been focused at work and have always done whatever time necessary to get the job done. For me success in this industry is about two things - hard work and belief in self. Always good to have a friend or two along the way and it is imperative to work at the "right places" especially through ones twenties. That is where the sacrifice comes into play doesn't it? Having to work when your friends were out enjoying themselves...”